Portable device and method for controlling brightness of the same

ABSTRACT

A portable device and a method for controlling brightness thereof are provided. The portable device includes a display, a sensor and a controller. The display provides a display region that is displayed with a first brightness. The sensor senses a surrounding brightness of the portable device. The controller controls the display to display a partial region corresponding to a User Interaction (UI) element in the display region with a second brightness based on the sensed surrounding brightness.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0088536 filed on Jun. 22, 2015 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/148,364filed on Apr. 16, 2015 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office,the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Apparatuses, devices, articles of manufacture, and methods consistentwith the present disclosure relate to a portable device and a method forcontrolling brightness of the portable device, and more particularly, toan apparatus and a method for controlling brightness of a portabledevice based on surrounding brightness.

2. Description of the Related Art

Due to development of electronic technology, various types of portabledevices have developed and spread. In particular, portable devicesprovided with displays, such as smart phones, tablet PCs, and wearabledevices, have been developed at high speed in the last several years.

Accordingly, the usage environment of the portable device has becomediversified. For example, a user may use the portable device indoors oroutdoors, and also in the daytime or at night.

In this case, as the user moves through different usage environments,the surrounding brightness of the portable device may differ, and due tothis difference, the user may have a different perception of thebrightness even when the user views the same content on the portabledevice. For example, if the user moves from a dark environment to abright environment, the user may be unable to see the content displayedon the portable device well.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments overcome the above disadvantages and otherdisadvantages not described above, and provide a portable device and/ormethod capable of adapting to a change of surrounding brightness of aportable device.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided aportable device that includes a display configured to provide a displayregion that is displayed with a first brightness; a sensor configured tosense a surrounding brightness of the portable device; and a controllerconfigured to control the display to display a partial regioncorresponding to a User Interaction (UI) element in the display regionwith a second brightness based on the sensed surrounding brightness.

The controller may control the display to display a region excluding thepartial region of the display region continuously with the firstbrightness, or with a third brightness that is lower than the secondbrightness.

The controller may control the display to display the partial regionwith the second brightness if an illuminance value corresponding to thesensed surrounding brightness is equal to or greater than a thresholdvalue, or a changed value of the illuminance value is equal to orgreater than a threshold value.

The partial region corresponding to the UI element may correspond to alayout region including the UI element, a field region including the UIelement, or a plurality of pixels displaying the UI element.

The UI element may comprise a UI element for controlling the brightnessof the display region.

The sensor may sense a user input for controlling the brightness of thedisplay region through the UI element, and the controller may controlthe display to display the display region with a fourth brightness inresponse to the user input.

In the case where content is displayed in the display region, the UIelement may comprise a UI element for controlling the content.

In the case where a lock screen is displayed in the display region, theUI element may comprise at least one UI element for releasing the lockscreen.

The controller may identify the partial region corresponding to the UIelement in the display region.

The first brightness may correspond to a first luminance value, and thesecond brightness may correspond to a second luminance value differentfrom the first luminance value.

According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there isprovided a method for controlling brightness of a portable device, themethod including displaying a display region with a first brightness;sensing a surrounding brightness of the portable device; and displayinga partial region corresponding to a User Interaction (UI) element in thedisplay region with a second brightness based on the sensed surroundingbrightness.

The displaying the partial region with the second brightness maycomprise displaying a region excluding the partial region of the displayregion continuously with the first brightness, or with third brightnessthat is lower than the second brightness.

The displaying the partial region with the second brightness maycomprise displaying the partial region with the second brightness if anilluminance value corresponding to the sensed surrounding brightness isequal to or greater than a threshold value, or a changed value of theilluminance value is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

The partial region corresponding to the UI element may correspond to alayout region including the UI element, a field region including the UIelement, or a plurality of pixels displaying the UI element.

The UI element may comprise a UI element for controlling the brightnessof the display region.

The method may further comprise sensing a user input for controlling thebrightness of the display region through the UI element; and displayingthe display region with a fourth brightness in response to the userinput.

In the case where content is displayed in the display region, the UIelement may comprise a UI element for controlling the content.

In the case where a lock screen is displayed in the display region, theUI element may comprise at least one UI element for releasing the lockscreen.

The displaying the partial region with the second brightness maycomprise identifying the partial region corresponding to the UI elementin the display region, and displaying the partial region correspondingto the UI element with the second brightness.

According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there isprovided a non-transitory recording medium recorded with a program forcontrolling brightness of a portable device that performs displaying adisplay region of the portable device with a first brightness; anddisplaying a partial region corresponding to a User Interaction (UI)element in the display region with a second brightness based onsurrounding brightness of the portable device.

According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there isprovided a portable device comprising a display; a sensor configured tosense an ambient brightness around the portable device; and a controllerconfigured to control the display to display a partial region that isless than a whole display area of the display and that corresponds to aUser Interaction (UI) element, with a brightness that differs from abrightness of a remaining region of the display when the ambientbrightness changes.

The controller may control the display to display the partial regionwith a greater brightness than a remaining region of the display whenthe sensed ambient brightness increases, and to change the remainingregion from a higher to a lower brightness while displaying the partialregion with a brightness higher than the brightness of the remainingregion when the sensed ambient brightness decreases.

Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will beset forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will beobvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other aspects will be more apparent by describingcertain exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are views explaining situations in which the brightnessof a portable device is controlled according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configurationof a portable device according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configurationof a portable device according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2C is a diagram explaining the structure of software stored in aportable device according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 3 to 9 are views illustrating display regions of which abrightness is increased on the basis of a surrounding brightnessaccording to an exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 10 to 12 are views illustrating display regions of which abrightness is decreased on the basis of a surrounding brightnessaccording to an exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are views illustrating that different UI elements aredisplayed with respect to the same user input in accordance withapplications being executed, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a screen for controlling brightnessaccording to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIGS. 15 and 16 are flowcharts illustrating a method for controllingbrightness according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, terms that are used in the description will be brieflydescribed, and then exemplary embodiments will be described in detail.

In the present disclosure, all terms used in the description are generalterms that are widely used in consideration of their functions in thepresent disclosure, but may differ depending on intentions of a personskilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, customs, orappearance of new technology. Further, in a specific case, an inventormay optionally select terms, and in this case, their meanings could bedescribed in detail in the description of the present disclosure.Accordingly, they should be defined on the basis of the contents of thewhole description of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed hereinafter, but can be implemented in various forms. Thematters defined in the description, such as the detailed constructionand elements, are nothing but specific details provided to assist thoseof ordinary skill in the art in a comprehensive understanding of thedisclosure, and the present disclosure is only defined within the scopeof the appended claims. In describing the present disclosure, well-knownelement structures and technologies are not described in detail sincethey would obscure the disclosure in unnecessary detail.

Although the terms “first”, “second”, and so forth are used to describevarious elements, components and/or sections, such elements, componentsand/or sections are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only todiscriminate an element, component, or section from other elements,components, or sections.

In the description, a singular expression may include a pluralexpression unless specially described. The term “includes” and/or “iscomposed of” used in the description means that one or more otherfeatures, figures, steps, operations, components, parts, and/orexistence or addition of the elements are not excluded in addition tothe described features, figures, steps, operations, components, parts,and/or existence of the elements.

In exemplary embodiments, the term “module” or “portion”, as usedherein, means, but is not limited to, a software or a hardware componentor a combination thereof, which performs certain tasks. Further, “aplurality of modules or portions” may be integrally formed as at leastone module and may be implemented by at least one processor (notillustrated) except for “modules” or “portions” that are required to beimplemented by specific hardware.

In exemplary embodiments, the term “connected to” or “coupled to” thatis used to designate a connection or coupling of one element to anotherelement includes both a case that an element is “directly connected orcoupled to” another element and a case that an element is electricallyconnected or coupled to another element via still another element. Theterm “includes” and/or “including” used in the description means thatone or more other components, steps, operations and/or existence oraddition of devices are not excluded in addition to the describedcomponents, steps, operations, and/or devices.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. The aspects and features of thepresent disclosure and methods for achieving the aspects and featureswill be apparent by referring to the exemplary embodiments to bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various differentforms, but is not limited to the exemplary embodiments describedhereinafter. Further, in the drawings, portions that are not related tothe description are omitted for clear explanation of the presentdisclosure, and in the entire description of the present disclosure, thesame drawing reference numerals are used for the same elements even indifferent drawings.

In exemplary embodiments, a user input may include at least one of touchinput, bending input, voice input, button input, motion input, andmultimodal input, but is not limited thereto.

In exemplary embodiments, the term “touch input” may include a touchgesture that a user makes on a display or a cover to control the device.Further, the term “touch input” may include a touch (e.g., floating orhovering) that is in a state where the user does not come in contactwith the display, but is spaced apart from the display over apredetermined distance. The touch input may be a touch & hold gesture, atap gesture that makes a touch and then releases the touch, a double tapgesture, a panning gesture, a flick gesture, a touch drag gesture thatmakes a touch and then moves in one direction, or a pinch gesture, butis not limited thereto.

In exemplary embodiments, the term “button input” means an input that auser makes to control the device using physical buttons provided on thedevice.

In exemplary embodiments, the term “motion input” means a motion that auser applies to the device to control the device. For example, the term“motion input” may include an input that a user makes to rotate thedevice, to tilt the device, or to move the device in upper, lower, left,and right directions.

In exemplary embodiments, the term “multimodal input” means acombination of at least two input methods. For example, the device mayreceive the touch input and the motion input from the user, or mayreceive the touch input and the voice input from the user.

Further, in exemplary embodiments, the term “application” means a set ofcomputer programs that are devised to perform specific tasks. Inexemplary embodiments, various applications may be provided. Forexample, a game application, a moving image reproduction application, amap application, a memo application, a calendar application, a phonebook application, a broadcasting application, an exercise supportapplication, a settlement application, a photo folder application, amedical device control application, and a user interface providingapplication for a plurality of medical devices may be provided, but arenot limited thereto.

Further, in exemplary embodiments, the term “application identificationinformation” may be inherent information for discriminating anapplication from other applications. For example, the applicationidentification information may be an icon, an index item, or linkinformation, but is not limited thereto.

Further, in exemplary embodiments, the term “User Interaction (UI)element” means an element that can interact with a user to achievefeedback, such as visual, auditory, and olfactory feedback, inaccordance with user inputs.

In an environment having a low surrounding brightness, a user does notfeel any difficulty in seeing the screen of the portable device even ifthe portable device is set to have a low luminance value.

However, if the user moves to an environment having a high surroundingbrightness in a state where the portable device is set to have a lowluminance value, the user may feel difficulty in seeing the screen ofthe portable device due to the abrupt increase in the surroundingbrightness of the portable device.

In this case, the user may intend to heighten the brightness of theportable device, but it may not be easy to search for a User Interaction(UI) element for controlling the brightness thereof. This difficulty mayhappen because it is difficult for the user to see the screen having alow luminance value when in an environment in which the surroundingbrightness has increased. Further, even in the case where the userintends to control the content being reproduced, it may not be easy forthe user to search for a UI element for controlling the content forsimilar reasons.

Exemplary embodiments seek to address these disadvantages, and provide aportable device and/or method capable of adapting to a change ofsurrounding brightness of a portable device

FIGS. 1A and 1B are views explaining situations in which the brightnessof a portable device 10 is controlled according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a portable device 10 may be implemented by devicesfor various purposes provided with displays. For example, the portabledevice 10 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a portablephone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, an electronicbook device, a device for digital broadcasting, a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a navigationdevice, or a wearable device, such as a smart watch, smart glasses, or aHead-Mounted Display (HMD), but is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a user 1 may use the portable device 10 at home. Inthis case, the portable device 10 may display a display region with afirst brightness. In this situation, the user 1 may move from an insideof a house to an outside of the house.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the user who has moved to a bright outside of thehouse may feel difficulty in seeing the display region of the portabledevice 10. For example, if the quantity of the surrounding light isabruptly increased, the user may feel difficulty in seeing the displayregion until the size of the user's pupil is adjusted in accordance withthe surrounding brightness.

In the case of sensing the surrounding brightness, the portable device10 may determine whether an illuminance value that represents thesurrounding brightness is equal to or greater than a threshold value.For example, if it is assumed that the illuminance value that canrepresent the surrounding brightness is in the range of ten levels, thatis, in the range of level 1 to level 10, the portable device 10 maydetermine that the illuminance value is, for example, equal to orgreater than level 7.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, the portable device 10 maycontrol the display to display a partial region 11 corresponding to aUser Interaction (UI) element in the display region with a secondbrightness.

Here, the partial region 11 corresponding to the UI element may includea layout region including the UI element, a field region including theUI element, or a plurality of pixels that display the UI element. On theother hand, the remaining region, which excludes the partial regioncorresponding to the UI element that is displayed with the secondbrightness, may be displayed continuously with the first brightness orwith a brightness that is lower than the first brightness.

In this case, the luminance value corresponding to the second brightnessmay be greater than the luminance value corresponding to the firstbrightness. For example, if the luminance value corresponding to thefirst brightness is a value from about 10 lux to about 50 lux, theluminance value corresponding to the second brightness may be a valuefrom about 100 lux to about 150 lux. Further, if the luminance valuecorresponding to the first brightness is a value from about 50 lux toabout 100 lux, the luminance value corresponding to the secondbrightness may be a value from about 150 lux to about 200 lux. Further,if the luminance value corresponding to the first brightness is a valuefrom about 100 lux to about 200 lux, the luminance value correspondingto the second brightness may be a value from about 300 lux to about 400lux. On the other hand, the luminance value corresponding to the firstbrightness and the luminance value corresponding to the secondbrightness are not limited to the above-described examples, but may beset as various numerical values by a manufacturer of the portable device10, a provider of an application installed in the portable device 10, ora provider of the operating system. Alternatively, the luminance valuesmay be set experimentally according to use of the device, or by the userthrough, for example, a settings screen.

Further, the luminance value corresponding to the second brightness mayrelatively differ in accordance with the illuminance value of thesurrounding brightness. For example, as the change of the illuminancevalue of the surrounding brightness becomes greater, the luminance valuecorresponding to the second brightness may become higher.

Further, the portable device 10 may operate in an auto brightness mode(e.g., in a state where an auto mode option 12 is checked; see FIG. 1B)in which the brightness of the display region is automatically changedin accordance with the surrounding brightness. In this case, theportable device 10 may determine the luminance value corresponding tothe second brightness to be greater than the luminance value that isdetermined in accordance with the auto brightness mode. For example, ifthe brightness of the display region is changed from the firstbrightness to a third brightness in accordance with the auto brightnessmode, the partial region 11 corresponding to the UI element may bedisplayed with a brightness that is brighter than the third brightness.

Referring again FIG. 1B, the UI element that is being displayed with thesecond brightness in the partial region 11 may be a UI element forcontrolling the brightness of the display region.

In this case, the user may control the brightness of the display regionthrough the UI element. For example, the user may control the brightnessof the display region of the portable device 10 to a fourth brightnessthat is brighter than the first brightness. In this case, the fourthbrightness may be brighter than the first brightness.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configurationof a portable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, a portable device 10 may include at least oneof a display 130, a communicator 140, a memory 150, an audio processor160, an audio outputter 170, a sensor 180, and a controller 190. On theother hand, the configuration of the portable device 10 as illustratedin FIG. 2A is merely exemplary, and is not necessarily limited to theblock diagram as described above. A part of the configuration of theportable device 10 illustrated in FIG. 2A may be omitted, modified, oradded in accordance with the kind or purpose of the portable device 10.

The display 130 may display various screens on the display region. Thevarious screens may be, for example, application execution screens.Various kinds of content (e.g., image, moving image, and/or text, etc.)and a UI element capable of controlling the content or portable device10 may be displayed on the various screens.

The display 130 may have various sizes. For example, the display 130 mayhave a size of 3 inches, 4 inches, 4.65 inches, 5 inches, 6.5 inches, or8.4 inches. The display 130 may be composed of a plurality of pixels. Inthis case, the numbers of the pixels in width and length may beexpressed by resolution. For example, the display 130 may have 320×320resolution, 360×480 resolution, 720×1280 resolution, 1280×800resolution, or 3940×2160 resolution. However, the display sizes and thedisplay resolutions are only examples, and are not intended to belimiting.

The display 130 may be implemented by various types of display panels.For example, the display panel may be implemented by various displaytechnologies, such as Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED), Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode(AM-OLED), Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS), or Digital Light Processing(DLP).

The display 130 may be coupled to at least one of a front region, a sideregion, and a rear region of the portable device 10 in the form of aflexible display. The flexible display can be flexed, bended, or rolledwithout being damaged through a substrate that is thin and flexible likea paper. The flexible display may be manufactured using not only a glasssubstrate that is generally used but also a plastic substrate. In thecase of using the plastic substrate, the flexible display may be formedusing a low-temperature manufacturing processor other than the existingmanufacturing processor to prevent the substrate from being damaged.Further, the flexible display may have flexibility so that it can befolded and unfolded through replacement of a glass substrate, whichsurrounds liquid crystals, with a plastic film. The flexible display hasthe advantages that it is thin, light, and strong against impacts, andcan be manufactured in various shapes including flexible and bendableshapes.

The display 130 may be implemented by a touch screen of a layerstructure through being combined with a touch sensor 181. The touchscreen may have not only a display function but also a function ofdetecting a touch input location, a touched area, and even a touch inputpressure. Further, the touch screen can detect not only an actual touchbut also a proximity touch.

The communicator 140 is a configuration that performs communication withvarious types of external devices in accordance with various types ofcommunication methods. The communicator 140 may include at least one ofa Wi-Fi chip 141, a Bluetooth chip 142, a wireless communication chip143, and an Near Field Communication (NFC) chip 144. The controller 190may perform communication with an external server or various kinds ofexternal devices using the communicator 140.

In particular, the Wi-Fi chip 141 and the Bluetooth chip 142 can performcommunication in a Wi-Fi method and a Bluetooth method, respectively. Inthe case of using the Wi-Fi chip 141 or the Bluetooth chip 142, variouskinds of connection information, such as a SSID and a session key, maybe first transmitted and received to perform communication connectionusing the connection information, and then various kinds of informationmay be transmitted and received. The wireless communication chip 143means a chip that performs communication in accordance with variouscommunication standards, such as IEEE, Zigbee, 3^(rd) Generation (3G),3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and Long Term Evolution(LTE). The NFC chip 144 means a chip that operates in an NFC methodusing a frequency band of 13.56 MHz among various RF-ID frequency bandsof 135 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, 860-960 MHz, and 2.45 GHz. However,these bands are only examples, and are not intended to be limiting.

The memory 150 may store various kinds of programs and data that arerequired to operate the portable device 10. The memory 150 may include anonvolatile memory, a volatile memory, a flash memory, a Hard Disk Drive(HDD), or a Solid State Drive (SSD). The memory 150 may be accessed bythe controller 190, and may perform dataread/write/correction/delete/update through the controller 190. In thepresent disclosure, the term “memory” may include the memory 150, a ROM192 and a RAM 191 in the controller 190, and/or a memory card (notillustrated) (e.g., micro SD card or memory stick) mounted in theportable device 10.

Further, programs and data for providing various kinds of screens to bedisplayed on the display region of the display 130 may be stored in thememory 150.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 2C, the structure of software that isstored in the memory 150 will be described. Referring to FIG. 2C,software that includes an Operating System (OS) 310, a kernel 320,middleware 330, and applications 340 may be stored in the memory 150.

The OS 310 controls and manages the whole operation of hardware. Thatis, the OS 310 is a layer that takes charge of basic functions, such ashardware management, memory, and secure.

The kernel 320 serves as a path for transferring various kinds ofsignals including touch signals sensed through the sensor 180 to themiddleware 330.

The middleware 330 includes various kinds of software modules thatcontrol the operation of the portable device 10. Referring to FIG. 2C,the middleware 330 includes an X11 module 330-1, an APP manager 330-2, aconnection manager 330-3, a secure module 330-4, a system manager 330-5,a multimedia framework 330-6, a main UI framework 330-7, a windowmanager 330-8, and/or a sub UI framework 330-9.

The X11 module 330-1 is a module that receives various kinds of eventsignals from various kinds of hardware configurations provided in theportable device 10. Here, the term “event” may be variously set as anevent in which a user gesture is sensed, an event in which a systemalarm is generated, or an event in which a specific program is executedor ended.

The APP manager 330-2 is a module that manages execution states ofvarious kinds of applications 340 installed in the memory 150. If anapplication execution event is sensed by the X11 module 330-1, the APPmanager 330-2 calls and executes an application that corresponds to thecorresponding event.

The connection manager 330-3 is a module for supporting a wired orwireless network connection. The connection manager 330-3 may includevarious detailed modules, such as a DNET module and an UPnP module.

The secure module 330-4 is a module that supports hardwarecertification, request permission, and secure storage.

The system manager 330-5 monitors states of respective constituentelements in the portable device 10, and provides the results ofmonitoring to other modules. For example, in the case where a batteryresidual amount becomes insufficient, an error occurs, or acommunication connection becomes disconnected, the system manager 330-5may provide the results of monitoring to the main UI framework 330-7 orthe sub UI framework 330-9 to output a notification message ornotification sound.

The multimedia framework 330-6 is a module for reproducing multimediacontent that is stored in the portable device 10 or is provided from anexternal source. The multimedia framework 330-6 may include a playermodule, a camcorder module, and a sound processing module. Accordingly,the multimedia framework 330-6 can reproduce various kinds of multimediacontent to generate a screen and sound.

The main UI framework 330-7 is a module for providing various kinds ofUIs to be displayed on a main region of the display 130, and the sub UIframework 330-9 is a module for providing various kinds of UIs to bedisplayed on a sub region. Each of the main UI framework 330-7 and thesub UI framework 330-9 may include an image compositor module thatconfigures various kinds of UI elements, a coordinate compositor modulethat calculates coordinates at which the UI element is displayed, arendering module that renders the configured UI element at thecalculated coordinates, and a 2D/3D UI tool kit that provides a tool forconfiguring a 2D or 3D type UI.

The window manager 330-8 may sense a touch event using a user's body ora pen and other input events. If such an event is sensed, the windowmanager 330-8 transfers an event signal to the main UI framework 330-7or the sub UI framework 330-9 to perform an operation that correspondsto the event.

In addition, various program modules, such as a handwriting module fordrawing a line along a drag trace when a user touches and drags thescreen and an angle calculation module for calculating a pitch angle, aroll angle, and a yaw angle based on sensor values sensed by the motionsensor 182, may be stored in the portable device 10.

The application module 340 includes applications 340-1 to 340-n forsupporting various functions. For example, the application module 340may include program modules for providing various services, such as anavigation program module, a game module, an electronic book module, acalendar module, and an alarm management module. Such applications maybe installed by default or may be optionally installed by a user to beused in a usage process. If a UI element is selected, the main CPU 194may execute an application that corresponds to the UI element selectedusing the application module 340.

The software structure illustrated in FIG. 2C is merely exemplary, andthus is not necessarily limited thereto. Accordingly, a part thereof maybe omitted, modified, or added in accordance with the kind or purpose ofthe portable device 10. For example, various programs, such as a sensingmodule for analyzing signals sensed by various kinds of sensors, amessaging module including a messenger program, a text message program,and an e-mail program, a call information aggregator program module, aVoIP module, and a web browser module, may be additionally provided inthe memory 150.

Referring again to FIG. 2A, the audio processor 160 is a constituentelement that processes audio data of video content. The audio processor160 may perform various processes, such as audio data decoding,amplification, and noise filtering. The audio data that is processed bythe audio processor 160 may be output to the audio outputter 170.

The audio outputter 170 is a constituent element that outputs not onlyvarious kinds of audio data, of which various processes, such asdecoding, amplification, and noise filtering, have been performed by theaudio processor 160, but also various kinds of notification sound orvoice messages. In particular, the audio outputter 170 may beimplemented by a speaker. However, this is merely exemplary, and theaudio outputter 170 may also be implemented by an output terminal thatcan output the audio data.

The sensor 180 senses various user inputs. Further, the sensor 180 maydetect at least one of various changes, such as a posture change, anilluminance change, and an acceleration change, and transfer acorresponding electrical signal to the controller 390. That is, thesensor 180 may sense a state change that is made on the basis of theportable device 10, generate and transfer a corresponding sensing signalto the controller 190.

In the present disclosure, the sensor 180 may be composed of varioussensors. When the potable device 10 is driven (or based on user'ssetting), a power is supplied to at least one sensor that is set underthe control of the sensor 180, and thus the sensor can sense the statechange of the portable device 10. In this case, the sensor 180 may beconfigured to include at least one of any type of sensing device thatcan detect the state changes of the portable device 10. For example, thesensor 180 may be configured to include at least one of various sensingdevices, such as a touch sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor,an illuminance sensor, a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a noisesensor (e.g., microphone), a video sensor (e.g., camera module), a pensensor, and a timer. However, these sensors are only exemplary, and arenot intended to be limiting.

The sensor 180 may be divided into a touch sensor 181, a motion sensor182, an illuminance sensor 183, and a button sensor 184 in accordancewith the purpose of sensing, but is not limited thereto. The sensor 180may be divided in accordance with more various purposes.

Further, the sensors are not limited to any particular physicaldivision, and at least one sensor may be combined to serve as thesensors 181, 182, 183, and 184. Further, depending on the implementationmethod, a part of the configuration or the function of the sensor 180may be included in the controller 190.

The touch sensor 181 may sense user's finger touch input, and may outputa touch event value that corresponds to the sensed touch signal. A touchpanel of the touch sensor 181 may be mounted below the display 130. Thetouch sensor 181 may sense the user's finger touch input in capacitiveand resistive touch sensing methods. The capacitive method is a methodthat calculates touch coordinates through sensing of fine electricitythat is induced to the user's body. The resistive method is a methodthat calculates touch coordinates through sensing of current flow thatis caused by contact of two electrode plates that are built in the touchpanel at a touched point.

The touch sensor 81 may acquire output signals in accordance with theuser's input from the touch sensor. The touch sensor 181 may calculateuser input information, such as a touch location or touch coordinates,the number of touches, a cell ID, a touch angle, or a touched area, fromthe signal values, and may determine the kind of the touch input usingthe calculated user input information. In this case, the touch sensor181 may determine the kind of the touch input using a touch recognitionalgorithm and touch pattern data stored in a memory (not illustrated) ofthe touch panel. Once the kind of the touch input is determined, thetouch sensor 181 may transmit information about the kind of the touchinput to the controller 190. As described above, the touch sensor 181may sense a proximity touch location (or hovering location) input by theuser.

In this case, the controller 190 may perform a part of the function ofthe touch sensor 181 as a substitute. For example, the touch sensor 181may transmit the signal value acquired from the touch sensor or the userinput information calculated from the signal value to the controller190. The controller 190 may determine the kind of the touch input usingthe received signal value or the user input information, and the touchrecognition algorithm and the touch pattern data stored in the memory150. As an example, in the case where a phone application is executed,the controller 190 may detect that a call button of the phoneapplication is selected from the user input information or the kind ofthe touch input, and transmit a call request to an opposite partythrough the communicator 140.

The motion sensor 182 may sense a motion (e.g., rotating motion ortilting motion) of the portable device 10 using at least one of anacceleration sensor, a tilt sensor, a gyro sensor, and a 3-axis magneticsensor, and transfer a generated electrical signal to the controller190. As an example, the motion sensor 182 measures an acceleration inwhich motion acceleration and gravity acceleration of the portabledevice 10 are added to each other, and if the portable device 10 has nomotion, the motion sensor 182 may measure only the gravity acceleration.

For example, if it is assumed that the motion sensor 182 uses theacceleration sensor, the motion sensor 182 may measure the gravityacceleration with respect to X, Y, and Z axes based on the portabledevice 10. In this case, explanation will be made on the assumption thata direction in which the front surface of the portable device 10 isdirected upward is a positive (+) direction of the gravity acceleration,and a direction in which the rear surface of the portable device 10 isdirected upward is a negative (−) direction of the gravity acceleration.In the case where the rear surface of the portable device 10 is put on ahorizontal surface, the gravity acceleration measured by the motionsensor 182 may have X and Y-axis components that are measured as 0m/sec² and a Z-axis component that is measured as a specific positivevalue (e.g., +9.8 m/sec²). In contrast, in the case where the frontsurface of the portable device 10 is put on the horizontal surface, thegravity acceleration measured by the motion sensor 182 may have X andY-axis components that are measured as 0 m/sec² and a Z-axis componentthat is measured as a specific negative value (e.g., −9.8 m/sec²). Inaddition, if it is assumed that the portable device 10 is slantingly puton the surface of a table, the gravity acceleration measured by themotion sensor 182 may have at least one axis component that is measuredas a value that is not 0 m/sec² and the square root of the sum ofsquares of three-axis components, that is, the vector sum, may be thespecific value (e.g., 9.8 m/sec²). As described above, the motion sensor182 may sense respective accelerations with respect to X, Y, and Z-axisdirections in the coordinate system. On the other hand, In accordancewith the sensor attachment location, the respective axes and thecorresponding gravity accelerations may be changed.

The illuminance sensor 183 may sense the surrounding brightness of theportable device 10 using an illuminance sensing device. The illuminancesensor may sense the brightness using a photoelectric cell, and withrespect to very low brightness, a photoelectric tube may be used. As anexample of the illuminance sensor, a Cadmium Sulfide (CDS) illuminancesensor may be installed on both surfaces of the portable device 10 tosense the surrounding brightness of the portable device 10. Theilluminance sensor 183 may convert a voltage that is acquired throughthe illuminance sensor into a digital value and transmit the digitalvalue to the controller 190.

The sensor 180 may further include a pen sensor 184 (e.g., penrecognition panel) (not illustrated). The pen sensor may sense a user'spen input in accordance with the operation of a user's touch pen (e.g.,stylus pen or digitizer pen), and output a pen proximity event value ora pen touch event value. The pen sensor may be implemented through, forexample, an EMR method, and in this case, the touch or proximity inputmay be sensed in accordance with the intensity change of anelectromagnetic field due to the pen proximity or pen touch.Specifically, the pen recognition panel may be configured to include anelectromagnetic induction coil sensor having a grid structure and anelectromagnetic signal processor sequentially providing an AC signalhaving a predetermined frequency to respective loop coils of theelectromagnetic induction coil sensor. If a pen having a built-inresonant circuit is in the vicinity of the loop coil of the penrecognition panel, a magnetic field that is transmitted from thecorresponding loop coil causes current based on the mutualelectromagnetic induction to be generated in the resonant circuit of thepen. Based on this current, induced magnetic field is generated from thecoil that constitutes the resonant circuit of the pen, and the penrecognition panel can detect the induced magnetic field from the loopcoil that is in a signal reception state to sense the pen proximitylocation or the touch location.

The microphone (not illustrated) may receive user's voice forcontrolling a medical device (e.g., imaging startup, imaging stop, orimaging end) through the portable device 10, and recognize the user'svoice through a voice recognition module. Further, the microphone maytransmit the result of the recognition to the controller 190. In thiscase, the voice recognition module may be a part of the controller 190other than the microphone, or may be located out of the portable device10.

The controller (or processor) 190 may control the whole operation of theportable device 10 using various kinds of programs stored in the memory150.

The controller 190 may include a RAM 191, a ROM 192, a graphic processor193, a main CPU 194, first to n-th interfaces 195-1 to 195-n, and a bus196. In this case, the RAM 191, the ROM 192, the graphic processor 193,the main CPU 194, and the first to n-th interfaces 195-1 to 195-n may beconnected to one another via the bus 196. The main CPU may include aplurality of CPUs.

The RAM 191 stores the OS and application programs. Specifically, if theportable device 10 is booted, the OS may be stored in the RAM 191, andvarious kinds of application data selected by the user may be stored inthe RAM 191.

In the ROM 192, a set of commands for system booting is stored. If aturn-on command is input and the power is supplied, the main CPU 194copies the OS stored in the memory 150 to the RAM 191 according to thecommand stored in the ROM 192 and executes the OS to boot the system.When the booting is completed, the main CPU 194 copies various kinds ofapplication programs stored in the memory 150 to the RAM 191, andexecutes the application programs copied to the RAM 191 to performvarious kinds of operations.

The graphic processor 193 generates a screen that includes variousobjects, such as items, images, and texts, using an operator (notillustrated) and a renderer (not illustrated). Here, the operator may beconfigured to operate attribute values, such as coordinate values,shapes, sizes, and colors of the objects to be displayed in accordancewith the layout of the screen using a control command that is receivedfrom the sensor 180. The renderer may be configured to generate a screenof various layouts including the objects on the basis of the attributevalues operated by the operator. The screen generated by the renderermay be displayed in the display region of the display 130.

The main CPU 194 accesses the memory 150 and performs booting using theOS stored in the memory 150. Further, the main CPU 194 performs variousoperations using various kinds of programs, content, and data stored inthe memory 150.

The first to n-th interfaces 195-1 to 195-n are connected to the variouskinds of constituent elements as described above. One of the first ton-th interfaces 195-1 to 195-n may become a network interface that isconnected to an external device through a network.

The controller 190 may control the brightness of the display regionbased on the surrounding brightness of the portable device 10 that issensed through the sensor 180.

Specifically, the controller 190 may determine an output luminance valuecorresponding to the brightness of the display region. For example, thecontroller 190 may determine the output luminance value of the display130 using a mathematical time function, brightness values stored in alook up table (LUT), or values pre-recorded in a driver IC of thedisplay 130. In this case, the output luminance value of the display 130may be determined in consideration of an initial luminance value, atarget luminance value, and/or the luminance change time.

The display 130 may include a lamp driver (not illustrated) that, inconjunction with the controller 190, may control the brightness of thedisplay region in accordance with the determined luminance value. Inthis case, the controller 190 may determine a lamp supply voltagecontrol value for controlling the lamp driver on the basis of thedetermined luminance value, and may control the lamp driver inaccordance with the determined control value.

Specifically, the lamp driver may include a voltage control signalgenerator and a converter. The voltage control signal generatorgenerates a voltage control signal corresponding to a lamp supplyvoltage control value that is received from the controller 190, andtransmits the voltage control signal to the converter. The converter maycontrol the output voltage of the lamp driver in accordance with thereceived voltage control signal. As described above, the lamp driver maycontrol the brightness of the lamp in accordance with the lamp supplyvoltage control value received from the controller 190. In addition, inaccordance with the implementation type of the display 130, the outputluminance value of the display 130 may be controlled through variousmethods.

The lamp driver, in conjunction with the controller 190, may control thebrightness of the display region in the unit of a pixel of the display,or in the unit of a region of the display that is a set of pixels. Thatis, the lamp driver, in conjunction with the controller 190, may controlthe brightness of individual pixels or a brightness of a region thatcomprises a plurality of pixels. For example, a voltage control signalgenerator, a converter, and a lamp may be provided for each pixel of thedisplay or for each region of the display. In this case, the controller190 may determine a plurality of lamp supply voltage control values foreach pixel, or for each region of the display 130. The lamp driver mayreceive the lamp supply voltage control values for each pixel or foreach region, and control the brightness of the lamp for each pixel orfor each region in accordance with the received lamp supply voltagecontrol values. Through this, the partial region of the display regionmay be displayed with the first brightness, and another partial regionof the display region may be displayed with the second brightness.

Alternatively or additionally, the display 130, in conjunction with thecontroller 190, may control the brightness of the display region in theunit of a pixel, or in the unit of a region that is a set of pixelsthrough upwardly adjusting RGB values of the pixels in accordance withthe determined luminance value. For example, if RGB values of a specificpixel are 120, 100, and 50, respectively, the display 130, inconjunction with the controller 190, may apply a brightness scaler valueto the specific pixel in accordance with the determined luminance value.For example, if the brightness scaler value is 1.5, the RGB values ofthe specific pixel may be 180, 150, and 75, respectively. The brightnessscaler may be applied in the unit of a pixel, or in the unit of aregion.

Further, the brightness scaler may be used together with the lamp driverto variously change the brightness range.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configurationof a portable device according to another exemplary embodiment

Referring to FIG. 2B, a portable device 10 may include a display 130, asensor 180, and a controller 190.

The display 130 may provide a display region that is displayed with thefirst brightness. That is, the display region of the display 130 may bedisplayed with the first brightness that corresponds to a luminancevalue. The luminance value may be set by a manufacturer of the portabledevice 10, a provider of an application installed in the portable device10, or a provider of the operating system. The luminance value may beset experimentally according to a use of the portable device 10. Theluminance value may be designated by a user through a user interface.

The sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightness of the portabledevice 10 using an illuminance sensor. Further, the sensor 180 mayconvert an acquired voltage into an illuminance value in accordance withthe surrounding brightness and transmit the converted illuminance valueto the controller 190.

The controller 190 may control the display 130 to display a partialregion corresponding to a UI element in the display region with thesecond brightness based on the surrounding brightness. That is, thecontroller 190 may determine a luminance value corresponding to thesecond brightness based on the illuminance value that is received fromthe sensor 180, and transmit a voltage control signal corresponding tothe determined luminance value to the display 130. The display 130 maydisplay the region corresponding to the UI element in the display regionin accordance with the received voltage control signal.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to anexemplary embodiment. It should be noted that in the drawings, thedrawings are not to scale as far as the lines of the drawingscorresponding directly to the brightness of the various regions. Rather,the brightness of various lines and/or the correlation of the lines tothe brightness may be exaggerated for clarity.

In FIG. 3, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness.

In this state, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightness ofthe portable device 10. For example, the sensor 180 may sense thesurrounding brightness of the portable device 10 that is changed as auser moves from a dark place to a bright place. In this case, the userwho has abruptly moved to a bright place may feel difficulty in seeingthe display region of the portable device 10.

Accordingly, based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b)of FIG. 3, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display aregion 301 corresponding to a brightness control UI element with thesecond brightness in the display region that is displayed with the firstbrightness.

Specifically, the controller 190 may determine the illuminance valuethat corresponds to the surrounding brightness. The controller 190 maydetermine whether the illuminance value that corresponds to thesurrounding brightness of the portable device 100 is equal to or greaterthan a threshold value, or whether the changed value of the illuminancevalue is equal to or greater than a threshold value. For example, theportable device 10 may determine whether the illuminance value thatcorresponds to the surrounding brightness is equal to or greater thanthe threshold value (e.g., level 7). Alternatively or additionally, theportable device 10 may determine whether the changed value of theilluminance value is equal to or greater than the threshold value (e.g.,level 2).

If it is determined that the illuminance value that corresponds to thesurrounding brightness is equal to or greater than the threshold value,or that the changed value of the illuminance value is equal to orgreater than the threshold value, the controller 190 may control thedisplay 130 to display a region 301 that corresponds to a brightnesscontrol UI element with the second brightness. Further, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display a region that excludes theabove-described region 301 continuously with the first brightness. Itshould be noted that in (b) the region that excludes the region 301 isshown greyed out in order to clearly illustrate the brightnessdifference between the region 310 and the region that excludes theregion 301. In actual implementation, the brightness of the region thatexcludes the region 301 is the first brightness as described above.

Alternatively, in order for the brightness control UI element to be seenwell, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display theregion that excludes the region 301 corresponding to the brightnesscontrol UI element with a brightness that is lower than the firstbrightness.

Next, as shown as (b) of FIG. 3, the sensor 180 may receive a user inputfor controlling the brightness of the display region through thebrightness control UI element. The user input may be, for example, atouch input to touch and drag an adjuster of the brightness control UIelement.

In response to the user input, as shown as (c) of FIG. 3, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display the display region with thirdbrightness that is greater than the first brightness. Specifically, thecontroller 190 may determine the luminance value in accordance with theuser input, and determine a lamp supply voltage value for controlling alamp driver based on the determined luminance value. Further, thecontroller 190 may transmit the lamp supply voltage control value to thedisplay 130 and control the display 130 to be displayed with the thirdbrightness that corresponds to the determined luminance value.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to anotherexemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 4, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness.

In this state, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightness ofthe portable device 10. For example, the sensor 180 may sense thesurrounding brightness of the portable device 10 that is changed as auser moves from a dark place to a bright place.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 4,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to newly display abrightness control UI element on the display region and to display aregion 302 corresponding to the brightness control UI element with thesecond brightness. That is, if the illuminance value that corresponds tothe surrounding brightness is equal to or greater than a thresholdvalue, or the changed value of the illuminance value is equal to orgreater than a threshold value, the controller 190 may control thedisplay 130 to newly display the brightness control UI element on thedisplay region.

In this case, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to displaya region that excludes the above-described region 302 corresponding tothe brightness control UI element continuously with the first brightnessor with a brightness that is lower than the first brightness.

Next, the sensor 180 may receive a user input for controlling thebrightness of the display region through the brightness control UIelement.

In response to the user input, as shown as (c) of FIG. 4, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display the display region with thirdbrightness that is greater than the first brightness. In this case, theuser's touch drag is released, and thus the controller 190 may controlthe display 130 to make the brightness control UI element automaticallydisappear from the display region.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to stillanother exemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 5, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness. In this case, a content reproduction screenfor reproducing content may be displayed on the display region. Thecontent reproduction screen may include content identificationinformation and a content control UI element.

In this state, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightness ofthe portable device 10.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 5,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display regions 501,502, and 503 corresponding to a plurality of user interfaces with thesecond brightness in the display region. For example, the controller 190may control the display 130 to display the region 501 corresponding to abrightness control UI element and the region 503 corresponding to acontent control UI element with the second brightness.

In this case, the brightness control UI element may be set by a providerof an application installed in the portable device 10 or a provider ofthe operating system. Further, the brightness control UI element may bepre-designated by a user. Further, the brightness control UI element maybe determined through context awareness technology of the portabledevice 10. For example, based on the sensed surrounding brightness, thecontroller 190 may identify the UI element in the display region. Thatis, the controller 190 may identify the content control UI element onthe content reproduction screen.

Again, as shown as (b) of FIG. 5, the controller 190 may control thedisplay 130 to display a region 502 corresponding to contentidentification information with the second brightness.

Next, the controller 190 may receive a user input for controlling thebrightness of the display region through the brightness control UIelement. The user input may be, for example, a touch input to touch anddrag an adjuster of the brightness control UI element.

In response to the user input, as shown as (c) of FIG. 5, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display the display region with thirdbrightness that is greater than the first brightness.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to stillanother exemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 6, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness. In this state, a lock screen may be displayedon the display region. The lock screen may be a screen that is displayedbefore entering into a home screen in the case where a user presses oneside of the portable device 10 or a home button in a state where thedisplay region is turned off or in a black screen state.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 6,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to newly display abrightness control UI element on the lock screen and to display pixels601-1 to 601-4 corresponding to the brightness control UI element withthe second brightness. Next, the sensor 180 may receive a user input forcontrolling the brightness of the lock screen. The user input may be atouch input that selects an adjuster 601-1 of the brightness control UIelement and vertically touches and drags the adjuster.

In response to the user input, as shown as (c) of FIG. 6, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display the lock screen with thirdbrightness that is greater than the first brightness. In this case,since the user's touch drag is released, the controller 190 may controlthe display 130 to make the brightness control UI element automaticallydisappear from the lock screen.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to stillanother exemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 7, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness. In this state, a lock screen may be displayedon the display region.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 7,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to newly display abrightness control UI element on the lock screen and to display a region701 corresponding to the brightness control UI element with the secondbrightness. Next, the sensor 180 may receive a user input forcontrolling the brightness of the lock screen. The user input may be atouch input that selects an adjuster 702 of the brightness control UIelement and horizontally touches and drags the adjuster.

In response to the user input, as shown as (c) of FIG. 7, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display the lock screen with thirdbrightness that is greater than the first brightness.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to stillanother exemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 8, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness. In this state, a lock screen including UIelements 800 for receiving an input of a pattern may be displayed on thedisplay region.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 8,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display a region 801that includes UI elements 800 that are used to release the lock screenwith the second brightness.

Next, the sensor 180 may receive a user's pattern input on the region801 that includes the UI elements 800. In response to the user input,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to release the lockscreen and to display a home screen.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightness isincreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to stillanother exemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 9, (a) shows a state where the whole display region is displayedwith the first brightness. In this state, a lock screen for receiving aninput of a pattern may be displayed on the display region.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 9,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display a plurality ofpixels 901-1 to 901-9 corresponding to UI elements that are used torelease the lock screen with the second brightness on the displayregion.

Next, the sensor 180 may receive a user's pattern input for touch anddrag between the UI elements. In response to the user input, thecontroller 190 may control the display 130 to release the lock screenand to display a home screen.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightnessis decreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to anexemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 10, (a) shows a state where the whole display region isdisplayed with the first brightness.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10. For example, the sensor 180 may sense thesurrounding brightness of the portable device 10 that is changed as auser moves from a bright place to a dark place. In this case, a thirdparty who has previously stayed in the dark place may have an aversionto the abrupt brightness of the user's portable device 10.

Accordingly, based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b)of FIG. 10, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to displaythe whole display region with the second brightness that is lower thanthe first brightness. In this case, the luminance value corresponding tothe second brightness may be lower than the luminance valuecorresponding to the first brightness.

Specifically, if the illuminance value that represents the surroundingbrightness is in the range of a plurality of levels, that is, in therange of level 1 to level 10, the controller 190 may determine that theilluminance value is, for example, less than or equal to level 3.

Here, the luminance value corresponding to the second brightness may begreater than the luminance value corresponding to the first brightness.For example, if the luminance value corresponding to the firstbrightness is a value from about 100 lux to about 150 lux, the luminancevalue corresponding to the second brightness may be a value from about10 lux to about 50 lux. Further, if the luminance value corresponding tothe first brightness is a value from about 150 lux to about 200 lux, theluminance value corresponding to the second brightness may be a valuefrom about 50 lux to about 100 lux. Further, if the luminance valuecorresponding to the first brightness is a value from about 300 lux toabout 400 lux, the luminance value corresponding to the secondbrightness may be a value from about 100 lux to about 200 lux. On theother hand, the luminance value corresponding to the first brightnessand the luminance value corresponding to the second brightness are notlimited to the above-described examples, but may be various numericalvalues set by a manufacturer of the portable device 10, a provider of anapplication installed in the portable device 10, or a provider of theoperating system. The values may also be set experimentally according toa use of the device, or may be set by the user, for example, using asetting screen.

Further, the luminance value corresponding to the second brightness mayrelatively differ in accordance with the illuminance value of thesurrounding brightness. For example, as the change of the illuminancevalue of the surrounding brightness becomes greater, the luminance valuecorresponding to the second brightness may become lower.

Further, the portable device 10 may operate in an auto brightness modein which the brightness of the display region is automatically changedin accordance with the surrounding brightness. In this case, theportable device 10 may determine that the luminance value correspondingto the second brightness is less than the luminance value determined inaccordance with the auto brightness mode.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightnessis decreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

In FIG. 11, (a) shows a state where the whole display region isdisplayed with the first brightness.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10. For example, the sensor 180 may sense thesurrounding brightness of the portable device 10 that is changed as auser moves from a bright place to a dark place.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 11,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display a partialregion 1101 of the display region with the second brightness and todisplay another partial region thereof with a third brightness.

In this case, the luminance value of the second brightness and theluminance value of the third brightness may be lower than the luminancevalue of the first brightness. In this case, the partial region 1101 maybe a region that corresponds to a UI element or notification information(e.g., time information, weather information, message information, SNSinformation, alarm information, or phone reception information). In thiscase, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display theregion that corresponds to the UI element or notification informationwith a brightness that is greater than the brightness of other regions.That is, in order for a user to easily recognize the UI element ornotification information, the partial region 1101 corresponding to theUI element or the notification information may be displayed with thebrightness that is greater than the brightness of other display regions.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating display regions of which the brightnessis decreased on the basis of surrounding brightness according to anexemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 12, (a) shows a state where the whole display region isdisplayed with the first brightness.

In this situation, the sensor 180 may sense the surrounding brightnessof the portable device 10. For example, the sensor 180 may sense thesurrounding brightness of the portable device 10 that is changed as auser moves from a bright place to a dark place.

Based on the sensed surrounding brightness, as shown as (b) of FIG. 12,the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display the wholedisplay region with the second brightness that is lower than the firstbrightness.

In this case, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to newlydisplay a brightness control UI element on the display region and todisplay a region 1201 corresponding to the brightness control UI elementwith the third brightness. In this case, the luminance value of thethird brightness may be greater than the luminance value of the firstbrightness.

Next, the sensor 180 may receive a user input for controlling thebrightness of the display region through the brightness control UIelement. The user input may be, for example, a touch input that touchesand drags an adjuster of the brightness control UI element.

In response to the user input, as shown as (c) of FIG. 12, thecontroller 190 may control the display 130 to display the display regionwith fourth brightness. In this case, since the user's touch drag isreleased, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to make thebrightness control UI element automatically disappear.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are views illustrating that different UI elements aredisplayed with respect to the same user input in accordance withapplications being executed according to an exemplary embodiment.

As one exemplary embodiment, as shown as (a) of FIG. 13A, the controller190 may control the display 130 to display an execution screen of afirst application (e.g., game application, music player, radioapplication, or phone application, etc.) that provides sound with afirst level value. If a user input to press a button on one side of theportable device 10 is sensed, the controller 190 may control the display130 to display a volume control UI element 1301. Next, the touch sensor181 may receive a user input for controlling the sound of the firstapplication. The user input may be, for example, a user input tocontinuously press the button on one side of the portable device 10.

In response to the user input, as shown as (b) of FIG. 13A, thecontroller 190 may control the audio outputter 170 to change the soundof the first application from the first level value to a second levelvalue.

As another exemplary embodiment, as shown as (a) of FIG. 13B, thecontroller 190 may control the display 130 to display an executionscreen of a first application (e.g., gallery application, memoapplication, or text message application, etc.) that does not providesound. If a user input to press a button on one side of the portabledevice 10 is sensed, the controller 190 may control the display 130 todisplay a brightness control UI element 1301. Next, the touch sensor 181may receive a user input for controlling the brightness of the displayregion. The user input may be, for example, a user input to continuouslypress the button on one side of the portable device 10.

In response to the user input, as shown as (b) of FIG. 13B, thecontroller 190 may control the display 130 to change the brightness ofthe display region from the first brightness to the second brightness.

As described above, the controller 190 may control the display 130 todisplay the UI element that performs different functions with respect tothe same user input in accordance with the kind of the application beingprovided. For this, if the user input is received from the sensor 180,the controller 190 may determine the kind of the application that iscurrently displayed. Then, the controller 190 may control the display130 to differently display the UI element to control the application inaccordance with the kind of the application.

Further, UI elements corresponding to applications may be set accordingto the kinds of the applications. In this case, if the user input isreceived from the sensor 180, the controller 190 may control the display130 to display the UI element to control the currently displayedapplication.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a screen for controlling brightnessaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to (a) of FIG. 14, the controller 190 may control the display130 to display a screen that includes a brightness control UI element1401.

For example, as described above, the controller 190 may control thedisplay 130 to display a brightness control UI element 1401 based on thesurrounding brightness. Further, the controller 190 may control thedisplay 130 to display the brightness control UI element 1401 inresponse to a user input for selecting a button on one side of theportable device 10. Further, the controller 190 may control the display130 to display the brightness control UI element 1401 in response to auser input for calling a quick panel.

In this case, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to displaya first screen 1402 (e.g., home screen) being displayed with the firstbrightness before or just before the user input for displaying thebrightness control UI element 1401 is received.

Further, the controller 190 may control the display 130 to display asecond screen 1403 to be displayed with the second brightness inaccordance with a user input through the brightness control UI element.

In this case, the first screen 1402 may be a screen that includes thesame contents with the same brightness as that of the second screen1403. Further, the first screen 1402 and the second screen 1403 may bethumbnail images. Next, the sensor 180 may sense a user input forcontrolling the brightness of the screen through the brightness controlUI element 1401.

In response to the user input, as shown as (b) of FIG. 14, thecontroller 190 may control the display 130 to display the second screen1403 with the second brightness while maintaining the first screen 1402with the first brightness.

In this case, the user can control the brightness of the display regionas comparing the brightness of the first screen 1402 previously operatedby the user with the brightness of the second screen 1403, and thususer's visibility and convenience can be improved.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling brightnessaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

At S1501, a portable device 10 may display a display region with firstbrightness.

At S1503, the portable device 10 may sense surrounding brightness of theportable device 10.

At S1505, the portable device 10 may display a partial regioncorresponding to a UI element in the display region with secondbrightness based on the sensed surrounding brightness. Further, theportable device 10 may display a region excluding the partial region ofthe display region continuously with the first brightness or with abrightness that is lower than the first brightness.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling brightnessaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

At S1601, the portable device 10 may display the whole display regionwith first brightness.

At S1603, the portable device 10 may sense the surrounding brightness ofthe portable device 10.

At S1605, the portable device 10 may determine whether the illuminancevalue corresponding to the surrounding brightness is equal to or greaterthan a threshold value.

At S1607, if it is determined that the illuminance value is equal to orgreater than the threshold value (S1605-Y), the portable device 10 maydisplay the partial region corresponding to the brightness control UIelement in a portion of the whole display region with the secondbrightness. In this case, the second brightness may be greater than thefirst brightness. That is, the luminance value corresponding to thesecond brightness may be greater than the luminance value correspondingto the first brightness. In contrast, if it is determined that theilluminance value is smaller than the threshold value (S1605-N), theportable device 10 may continuously sense the surrounding brightness ofthe portable device 10.

At S1609, the portable device 10 may determine whether a user inputthrough the brightness control UI element is sensed.

At S1611, if the user input is sensed (S1609-Y), the portable device maydisplay the whole display region with a third brightness. In this case,the third brightness may be greater than the first brightness. That is,the luminance value corresponding to the third brightness may be greaterthan the luminance value corresponding to the first brightness.

The device (e.g., modules or portable device 10) or the method (e.g.,operations) according to various exemplary embodiments may be performedby at least one computer (e.g., processor 190) that executesinstructions included in at least one of programs that are maintainedin, for example, a computer-readable storage medium.

In the case where the instructions are executed by the computer (e.g.,processor 190), the at least one computer may perform functionscorresponding to the instructions. In this case, the computer-readablestorage medium may be, for example, the above-described memory 150.

Programs may be included in a computer-readable storage medium, such asa hard disc, a floppy disc, a magnetic medium (e.g., magnetic tape), anoptical medium (e.g., Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM)), a DigitalVersatile Disc (DVD), a magneto-optical medium (e.g., floptical disk),or a hardware device (e.g., Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory(RAM), or flash memory). In this case the storage medium is generallyincluded as a part of the configuration of the portable device 10.However, the storage medium may be mounted through a port of theportable device, or may be included in an external device (e.g., cloud,server, or other electronic devices) located out of the portable device10. Further, the programs may be dividedly stored in a plurality ofstorage media, and in this case, at least a part of the plurality ofstorage media may be located in the external device of the portabledevice 10.

The instructions may include not only machine codes that are made by acompiler but also high-class language codes that can be executed by acomputer using an interpreter. The above-described hardware device maybe configured to operate as one or more software modules and vice versa,in order to perform the operations according to various exemplaryembodiments.

The foregoing exemplary embodiments and advantages are merely exemplaryand are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Thepresent teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses.Also, the description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to beillustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and manyalternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable device comprising: a displayconfigured to provide a display region that is displayed with a firstbrightness; a sensor configured to sense a surrounding brightness of theportable device; and a controller configured to control the display todisplay a partial region corresponding to a User Interaction (UI)element in the display region with a second brightness based on thesensed surrounding brightness.
 2. The portable device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the controller controls the display to display a regionexcluding the partial region of the display region continuously with thefirst brightness, or with a third brightness that is lower than thesecond brightness.
 3. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe controller controls the display to display the partial region withthe second brightness if an illuminance value corresponding to thesensed surrounding brightness is equal to or greater than a thresholdvalue, or a changed value of the illuminance value is equal to orgreater than a threshold value.
 4. The portable device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the partial region corresponding to the UI elementcorresponds to a layout region including the UI element, a field regionincluding the UI element, or a plurality of pixels displaying the UIelement.
 5. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the UIelement comprises a UI element for controlling the brightness of thedisplay region.
 6. The portable device as claimed in claim 5, whereinthe sensor senses a user input for controlling the brightness of thedisplay region through the UI element, and the controller controls thedisplay to display the display region with a fourth brightness inresponse to the user input.
 7. The portable device as claimed in claim1, wherein in the case where content is displayed in the display region,the UI element comprises a UI element for controlling the content. 8.The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the case where alock screen is displayed in the display region, the UI element comprisesat least one UI element for releasing the lock screen.
 9. The portabledevice as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller identifies thepartial region corresponding to the UI element in the display region.10. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firstbrightness corresponds to a first luminance value, and the secondbrightness corresponds to a second luminance value different from thefirst luminance value.
 11. A method for controlling brightness of aportable device, comprising: displaying a display region with a firstbrightness; sensing a surrounding brightness of the portable device; anddisplaying a partial region corresponding to a User Interaction (UI)element in the display region with a second brightness based on thesensed surrounding brightness.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 11,wherein the displaying the partial region with the second brightnesscomprises displaying a region excluding the partial region of thedisplay region continuously with the first brightness, or with thirdbrightness that is lower than the second brightness.
 13. The method asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the displaying the partial region with thesecond brightness comprises displaying the partial region with thesecond brightness if an illuminance value corresponding to the sensedsurrounding brightness is equal to or greater than a threshold value, ora changed value of the illuminance value is equal to or greater than athreshold value.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein thepartial region corresponding to the UI element corresponds to a layoutregion including the UI element, a field region including the UIelement, or a plurality of pixels displaying the UI element.
 15. Themethod as claimed in claim 11, wherein the UI element comprises a UIelement for controlling the brightness of the display region.
 16. Themethod as claimed in claim 15, further comprising: sensing a user inputfor controlling the brightness of the display region through the UIelement; and displaying the display region with a fourth brightness inresponse to the user input.
 17. The method as claimed in claim 11,wherein in the case where content is displayed in the display region,the UI element comprises a UI element for controlling the content. 18.The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in the case where a lockscreen is displayed in the display region, the UI element comprises atleast one UI element for releasing the lock screen.
 19. The method asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the displaying the partial region with thesecond brightness comprises identifying the partial region correspondingto the UI element in the display region, and displaying the partialregion corresponding to the UI element with the second brightness.
 20. Anon-transitory recording medium recorded with a program for controllingbrightness of a portable device that performs: displaying a displayregion of the portable device with a first brightness; and displaying apartial region corresponding to a User Interaction (UI) element in thedisplay region with a second brightness based on surrounding brightnessof the portable device.